Madison native Phil Hellmuth, Jr., has lead a pretty thrilling life.
At the age of 43, he's a legend in his chosen field, poker. He's won a record 11 World Series of Poker bracelets. He's won millions of dollars. He's been inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame. He's hobnobbed with celebrities and stayed in the most lavish hotel suites in the world. This year, a film crew is chronicling his quest for a 12th bracelet for a possible documentary.
"I've done some pretty cool things," Hellmuth said during a recent visit to Milwaukee.
A recent trip to the Miller Brewing Co. ranks near the top of the list.
After attending the Kentucky Derby, where he received VIP treatment and ran a charity poker event, Hellmuth stopped in Milwaukee on his way to another event in South Carolina.
Hellmuth was invited to the plant because Milwaukee's Best, which is Miller's line of economy beer, has been involved with poker for the past few years. This summer, Hellmuth's face, biography and quotations will be featured on 12 million cans of Milwaukee's Best, Milwaukee's Best Light and Milwaukee's Best Ice.
"Watching the can come off the line and then having them hand me one was amazing," Hellmuth said. "You know about the promotion. You see it coming. You see the artwork. You approve it all. But to actually see the can...
"It was like winning a (WSOP) bracelet, it really was. I was just on cloud nine. It was awesome. Unfortunately, when I win a bracelet, my ego gets knocked up a little bit and now my wife has to beat me up a little more."
It helps to have a big ego when you're playing at the final table. Hellmuth, who beat Johnny Chan to win his first WSOP title in 1989 at age 24, does not lack confidence. He has been described as a "poker brat" because of his penchant for snide remarks and bold proclamations such as "If it weren't for luck, I'd win ‘em all."
Hellmuth dropped out of the University of Wisconsin after three years and made the decision to pursue poker as a career. He'd arrived at a bar for a morning poker game, and then decided he didn't feel like playing and had a few drinks.
"I just felt like ‘What are you doing with your life? You're 23 years old. What are you doing?'" he said. "I opened the door and looked out and the sun was coming down. The snow was melting. I got out of there."
Hellmuth returned to his condo on Lake Mendota and mapped out a blueprint to become the best poker player in the world. He cut back on drinking and began exercising. He worked to hone his poker and money management skills and compiled a list of goals, such as meeting and marrying a beautiful woman, winning a World Series of Poker title and writing a best-selling book.
He's done them all.
The only thing left was getting his face on a beer can. Now he's done that, too.
With many Americans worried about the economy and staying away from bars and restaurants, the beer industry has suffered lately. Milwaukee's Best, however, saw an increase in sales early this year and company executives hope to cash in on the popularity of poker and one of its all-time greats.
Host of “The Drew Olson Show,” which airs 1-3 p.m. weekdays on The Big 902. Sidekick on “The Mike Heller Show,” airing weekdays on The Big 920 and a statewide network including stations in Madison, Appleton and Wausau. Co-author of Bill Schroeder’s “If These Walls Could Talk: Milwaukee Brewers” on Triumph Books. Co-host of “Big 12 Sports Saturday,” which airs Saturdays during football season on WISN-12. Former senior editor at OnMilwaukee.com. Former reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
